1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of explosives. In particular the present invention relates to systems, methods and devices for detecting, monitoring, tracking and identifying explosive materials.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Terrorism is a real and viable threat to the security of this country and the security of the world in general. Examples of such terrorist acts include the train bombings that occurred in Madrid and the Oklahoma City bombing on Apr. 19, 1995. Preventing acts of terrorism and improving the security of the general public is of vital importance to the private sector as well as the government. One way to accomplish this goal is to facilitate a way of detecting, tracking, monitoring and identifying explosive materials, including their constituent components, prior, during and after manufacture as well as during and after distribution. There currently are no methods or systems that track in real-time or substantially-real-time all explosive materials, such as, detonators, and other similar explosive materials at various stages of the manufacturing, shipping and storage or otherwise within the “chain of custody” from start to finish. There is also an inability to provide methods for facilitating investigation of sites that have suffered from an attack using explosives.
In the past there have been methods and devices that attempt to identify where a particular explosive material originated or attempt to more easily detect and identify explosive material that can survive detonation of explosive material. For example, taggant particles have been made which can range from up to 1000 microns down to 20 microns that can be made of any of a number of substances, such as microscopic pieces of multilayered colored plastic, and can be added to an explosive to indicate its source of manufacture. The microscopic pieces of multilayered colored plastic can be formulated within or applied to explosive materials. The specific manufacturer, batch and perhaps outlet where the explosive was purchased can be identified through the colored plastic taggants and may also facilitate identification of the purchaser.
Similarly, taggants can also come in chemical form. For example, DMNB (2,3 Dimethyl 2,3 Dinitrobutane) is one such chemical taggant that is used in association with the manufacture of explosive materials. In use, chemical taggants such as DMNB as used as tagging/detecting agents for plastic bonded explosives (PBX). An explosive substance with a chemical taggant such as DMNB is more readily detected by existing explosives detection equipment known in the art. The specific manufacturer and batch can be identified through taggants and can help facilitate identification of the purchaser.
In the field of tracking, and passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) tags are often used in connection with tracking systems for the manufacture of goods and are capable of location and identification of items in production and storage areas. In use, RFID tags are attached to the item or object to be tracked, remote sensing antennas are placed at a predetermined area to be monitored, and interrogators are connected to the sensing antennas to receive the antenna signals. Thereafter the signals may be transmitted to a network system and data base for tracking and recording.
However, none of these systems or identifying devices along solve the problems with detecting, tracking, monitoring and identifying all, or substantially all of the explosive material in a predetermined geographical location in real-time or substantially-real-time from the manufacturing stage to the receipt by an end user, and subsequent storage. Moreover, none of these systems or devices known in the art operate to control, detect, monitor and track explosive materials and similar hazardous material so they cannot be misused in improvised explosive devices or the like. Thus, there is a need for an improved system and method to detect, track, monitor and identify all or substantially all of the explosive materials, from the manufacturing stage, to the transit and handling stage, and finally to an end user.